Winter Kisses
by Exsinion-sama
Summary: A oneshot, Alnel, Christmasflufffic. Albel and Nel get lost in the mountains when a snow storm hits. Stuck in a cave, the only warmth they have is each other. Meri Kurimasu!


Winter Kisses

Ah, the Christmas season is now over, I can finally breathe a bit! Pretty sure everyone if freezing their butts off in America. Anyways, here's a little something that may perhaps keep you warm.

P.S. There is an alternate version of this fanfiction, and is only for mature readers. That's right! It's a lemon using the One-Blanket Scenario. The lemon will be on my livejournal since it's inaccessible on for some people. I'll mention when it's available on my profile, so be on the lookout!

Disclaimer: ACHOO! Damn, this is what I get for trying to steal the rights for SO3, _in the dead of winter_. Rubs nose I don- ACHOO! **I DON'T OWN SO3 DAMMIT!**

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'How did it end up like this?' Nel thought as she wearily trudged through the thick, cold snow of the Traum Mountains. 'And as if this couldn't get any worse, I have to be stuck in the snow with _him_, him of all people! Someone kill me, please!'

Nel glared at the back of the scrawny man in front of her, wishing for him to suddenly burst into flames. Of course, she could if she wanted to but that wasn't allowed, but she tried anyways. She huffed to herself and continued walking through the snow, occasionally looking up to see where he was leading her to, all the while remembering how they got into this situation.

_Flashback_

_Fayt and the gang had decided to train a bit before trying to get help from the Marquee, thus it brought them to the cold, dreaded atmosphere of the Traum Mountains, where monsters were sure to put up a fight just to get some food, as scant as it was there._

_Somehow, on their way through the mountains, Nel got lost, but she wasn't alone, for Albel was with her. She didn't understand how he got lost; he lived in Airyglyph and traversed through these mountains countless times to get to Kirlsa. How could he get lost?!_

_Then, to make matters worse, the weather decided to change from a simple snowfall to a raging snowstorm, forcing them to give up trying to catch up with the others and find some shelter._

So here she was, stuck in the snow, looking for shelter, with the most disagreeable man in the world. She sent another glare his way but soon shivered as a cold gust of wind blew through her cloak.

Albel didn't fail to notice it and began to look harder for any sign of protection. His eyes scanned the tall mountain cliffs and finally landed on a ledge that led into a cave.

"Zelpher, I see a cave up there. If you're not too weary yet, let's climb it and deal with whatever is up there." Albel had somewhat yelled over the wind. She looked up in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough there was a cave, so she nodded.

They began their descent up the ice cold wall, slipping occasionally due to the ice that covered it. Upon reaching the top they heaved themselves over the ledge, landing on the cold, hard rock there, and crawled the rest of the way inside before resting against the walls.

As Albel was busy surveying the decent sized cave, Nel was busy catching her breath and trying her best to shake off the cold, but she wasn't getting far and before she knew it, she sneezed loudly, breaking Albel from his inspecting.

He glared at her and frowned, "What's the matter, Zelpher? Catch a cold, did you? Stupid wench, and here I thought you'd be able to take care of yourself." Albel patiently waited for a response he knew should come.

Surprisingly, Nel did not respond as she felt a wave of dizziness pass through her. She held her forehead and closed her eyes. Albel watched this and his glare and frown softened, worry seeping into his features. He inched closer to her to see if she had a fever and how bad it had gotten.

Nel was quickly becoming flushed, her body heating faster than she could comprehend with her dizzy spells. She felt entirely not right; she felt like she was burning up but at the same time freezing to death. When Albel was barely a few inches from her, a huge shiver went down her spine.

Albel's hand came up and rested a few centimeters above her forehead. He instantly felt the heat radiating of her and his frown returned, even deeper than before. He backed away and she shivered again.

"You're sick, and with a _fever_ even, Zelpher." He sighed and averted his eyes to the wall before saying, "Despite your hate for me, Zelpher, I'm going to have to ask you to take off your clothes.

Though going through another dizzy spell, Nel heard him clearly and she spun her head around to look at him with wide eyes. "Save it, Zelpher. I'm not asking for a peep show, I'm just...concerned. Your clothes are wet and if you don't take them off, your fever will worsen. I swear to you I won't look...not like there's anything to see." As usual he had to add a snide remark, but she dismissed it and nodded at his explanation.

She turned around to undress, but not before checking to see if he kept his word and wasn't peeking, and to her surprise he was. She resumed removing her clothes in silence; she didn't want to admit that he was right, but sadly, he was correct and this fever would get terribly worse if she didn't remove her clothes.

She stripped them off until she remained in her navy colored halter top cat suit; she then strained the water from them, and then laid them out before giving the okay for Albel to look. He didn't look at her immediately, instead he looked anywhere _but_ her. It wasn't until she sneezed and let out a groan of frustration, that he looked at her.

She was shivering even more, the coldness of outside crept through her bones and turned her skin a pale looking color. He sighed again and scooted over to her to slip his cloak around her shoulders. She stared at him in shock but quickly stopped to enjoy basking in the new warmth that sat next to her.

She rested her head on his shoulder, only for him to shift some to wrap a warm arm around her shoulders. She was heating up fast now, a nice pardon from the cold chills that shook her. "Thank you, Albel." She said in slight mumble.

Albel glanced down at her and smirked, "You know, I heard a person can get better more quickly if they pass it on to someone else." Before Nel could say anything else, Albel had taken her head in his hands and brought it up to his own face in a kiss.

It was over before she knew it and her mind whined that it was too short, but that was quickly resolved when Albel dived in for another kiss. Nel did not hesitate this time to enjoy the kiss; it was amazing how easily the kisses warmed her from the inside, she couldn't get enough of the warmth, especially when outside of these kisses, it was freezing cold.

When they finally parted for a breath, their huffs were loud and visible in the cool air. Albel smirked at the site of her: swollen lips, dazed look, flushed skin. "You look warmer now, Zelpher. If you rest up now, you'll get better in no time, so sleep. We'll be leaving here as soon as soon as morning comes and the snowstorm is done."

Nel stared at him looking slightly disappointed, but she complied and rested her head on his shoulder again, this time letting sleep fully engulf her.

XXXXX

Morning finally arrived, brining out a bright sun uninhibited by any clouds. Nel was lightly shaken awake, but refused to open her eyes and instead brushed off the hand, clenching the cloak more tightly around her. There was a sigh, a shuffle, and then a muffle as Nel finally opened her emerald irises to the surprise wake up kiss.

Albel pulled away, dragging his cloak with him, and said, "Time to go, Zelpher. It's best not to sit around; the group is probably worried about us."

Nel grumbled and picked herself up, grabbing her fairly dry clothes as she stood. She sent him a small look and Albel obediently turned around in order for her to clothe herself. It seemed that through this event, she and Albel had come to a mutual respect for each other…well, maybe more than that, what with those kisses…

Nel blushed as she thought of it, remembering how nice it was: the surprising softness of his lips, the perfect way they fit against hers, the warmth that came with it and filled her…She didn't think that Albel the Wicked would be capable of such a warm kiss, it was indeed surprising, but more surprising that she liked it and wanting more.

Thoughts of the kiss did not deter her from putting on her clothes though and she finished changing quickly. Once done she tapped Albel on the shoulder to give him the okay to turn around again.

Nel wanted to thank him for keeping her warm throughout the night, and with thoughts of the kiss still running clearly through her mind, she knew just what to give in return. As soon as he faced her again, she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted her lips on his in a soft kiss. Albel reciprocated immediately, kissing her back with a uncharacteristic gentleness.

They pulled apart once air became an absolute necessity, their huffs visible as they caught their breath. "Now we'll both get better." Nel said with a smile.

Albel couldn't help but smirk back, "Of course, because winter kisses are the warmest ones out there, and they're sure to fix a cold." He leaned down again and gave her a light peck on the lips.

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I'm so lame at endings…well, at least it's finished and posted in time for Christmas, which, by the way, Happy Holidays everyone! Whether or not you celebrate this day, here's a nice present from me to you.

Keep warm everyone!


End file.
